Searching for that Pyrrhic Victory: O’Donnell is In.
I thought she was already in. Regardless, Christine O’Donnell’s rumored official yet unofficial campaign to teabag her way to the Senate is now… official. She is holding a press conference tomorrow at 10:30 am in the Gold Room of the Goodstay House in Wilmington. I am sure she will have as much success as she had in 2008, or 2006, or 2004…
The key to her success in the Republican primary is to harass the Teabaggin power for herself. We know the Teabaggers are not enamored with Mike Castle, given such incidents as the infamous Geogetown town hall encounter with Crazy Eileen. But over the last year as the Teabaggers reached their zenith and receded, I never got the sense that they loved Christine O’Donnell either. O’Donnell is more of a religious nut like David Anderson, and I have noticed that teabaggers are not the same as your typical religious right social conservative. Pardon the pun, but I think O’Donnell just is not their cup of tea.
But we will see. This primary is a test for the Anderson insurgent wing of the Delaware GOP. If there has ever been a living breathing example of the “The Delaware Way,” his name is Mike Castle. If Delaware, or at the very least, Delaware’s Republican Party, is populated with Palin-Beckian conservatives as they so claim, O’Donnell should win in a walk. Of course, thinking people know that Delaware is a blue to purple state, and deep dripping blood red don’t play here. Castle knows that, which is why he plays the flip floppery game, pretending he is for healthcare and jobs while voting against both often. It is why Castle so desparately hides his vote against the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act by showing up at all the groundbreaking ceremonies. Castle knows the reason he is elected year in and year out is because Democrats and Independents vote for him. Democrats and Independents will never vote for O’Donnell.
So have fun, my friends over at Delaware Politics. Pyrrhic victories are always the sweetest.
I don’t think the teabagger wing of the Republican party in Delaware is very strong. I’ll bet Castle is not losing any sleep over this.
However, I do think this is interesting because I don’t see Castle as someone who will stir up great passions of the base in the general election.
Or in a primary. So the key is if the base is motivated to vote AGAINST Castle (in the form of a vote for O’Donnell).
Anything that is going to draw attention to Castle’s poor record and make him campaign hard is a positive, especially since Chris Coons will not likely have any serious primary challenge and O’Donnell will likely be going after Castle on his record.
http://delawareway.blogspot.com/2010/01/jud-bennett-writes-who-is-christine.html
“In examining an earlier report covering the period of 1/1/09 to 3/31/09 it appears that debts and obligations owed by the committee totaled $24,298.64. During that period Ms. O’Donnell received contributions totaling $7,215. What is remarkable throughout the report is the consistent pattern of reimbursement to herself for meals, gasoline purchases, small amounts here and there, as if she might be living off of the campaign contributions. Cell phone reimbursements, an unusual $475.20 reimbursement for mileage and an expense reimbursement to a Brent Vosher (a former boyfriend) in the amount of $750 who owns the house where she was living–a house she once owned. Could that be a rent check? Another expenditure is a payment to Delmarva Power for her electric bill in the amount of $600. Another mileage reimbursement in the amount of $60. Then a $200 check to herself simply labeled– fundraising expense?
To add to her potential woes, Christine O’Donnell has an apparent problem with the Delaware Republican Committee brought about by its October 9th Vicmead event which is the Delaware GOP’s annual primary fundraiser. The Delaware Republican leadership throughout the state is in an uproar over this one. This is the story as presented to me from those in charge: ” After ordering two tickets at $175 a piece for the Vicmead event, apparently the credit card number Ms. O’Donnell gave to the Committee was declined for the purchase. According to my reliable sources, “she was told she could settle the account at the door. However , instead of doing exactly that, Ms. O’Donnell and friend somehow avoided the main entrance and entered from another area– they ate the food, net-worked the event and then left….
Regardless of the fact that one earlier report filed by former Treasurer Susan M. Dixon, indeed reflected an unusual pattern of reimbursements– as federal campaign finance reports usually go–“None of this is significant and can be easily explained, O’Donnell laughing said. “I’m not rich, I’m not working, and it is perfectly legitimate for me to use campaign funds for my living expenses while campaigning–food, gasoline, etc. I can even pay myself a salary as long as I’m not working,” said O’Donnell. As to the unusual Brent Vosher expense check, O’Donnell stated she really didn’t want his name mentioned, but it was a reimbursement to him for out of pocket expenses. …”
I think it will depend on if she can make enough noise to get Castle to respond. If he starts tacking right and starts defending his record as being a member of the Party of No, then it is a win for Coons.
Castle and Coons were on the same stage last night. If you were visiting from Mars or Mauritania, you would have assumed that Coons was the featured speaker and Castle was a retired YMCA instructor who had never quite learned the art of public speaking.
I think you hit it on the head, UI. This could theoretically hurt Castle because it would give him nowhere to hide. Whichever way he tries to sell himself, either as a true conservative or as a moderate Republican, he’s bound to anger the supporters of one of his opponents. There’s no way O’Donnell could hope to actually beat him, so his best strategy is to just ignore her and treat her attacks as just so much flatulent air coming from the far end of the elephant.
On the other hand, if sweet Christine could tap into this phenomenon, she just might be able to stimulate enough votes to keep Castle from winning. And as we’ve seen, that alone would be viewed as a victory for many of her potential supporters.
Good, John. More debates and joint appearances then.
JM, what event was this?
JM- I was there and thought the same thing–Coons really connects with a crowd when he speaks!
If she’s living with a guy, but claims not to have extra-marital sex, and she’s paying him….
This is getting rather weird.
So….JM and anon don’t want to say where the candidates appeared jointly last night? WTF?
I wonder if Coons For Senate or Castle For Senate have an itinerary on their web site so someone could, lets say, be informed of opportunities to listen to them?
Jesus, Nancy, the conclusions you jump to. JM and Anon “don’t want to say where the candidates appeared jointly” because they haven’t yet. Your conspiracy theory mind cannot allow for notion that JM and Anon simply have not been able to respond to the query yet. Since you are the Queen of all press releases surely you can check your database and find out.
ACCCCCCCKKKKKK! it’s DD!
I only said that because anon skipped over Cass’s question – which was my question when I read JM’s comment. Mebbe anon didn’t read Cass’ question but since I have been on this site and over the DKos – it was pretty clear that anon saw Cass’ question. But you are right, I was funnin’ with ya about intent. SO KILL ME!
🙂
/tripping the light fantastic this morning
in addition to having thin skins, DD and Cass have no sense of humor.
/runs away, ducks
Oh, I have a sense of humor. And I have pretty thick skin. But it was not obvious from your comment that you were joking.
Cass – It was the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, attended by the governor, mayor and many legislators. Castle and Coons were each asked to give the org’s service awards. Castle presented the youth award to Adrian Chambers from Mt Pleasant HS; Coons presented the service award to Maurice Pritchett. The subjects of each award were remarkable people, and it would be hard to blow this assignment. Castle was, well, Castle. He wasn’t bad but his demeanor, coupled with his congenital mumbling, conveyed, “I’ve done this 5,000 times before.” [The recipient, who volunteers at Rockwood, mentioned from the podium how she enjoyed seeing “Mr. and Mrs. Coons.”] In his turn, Coons involved global themes and personal anecdotes about Maurice that gave a proper introduction to Mr. P and made the presentation a highlight of the evening.
Well, that explains why Nancy wasn’t there. 😉 Or me for that matter.
Thanks JM!
And for someone who is humor impaired, I think that “Queen of All Press Releases” is a riot and a keeper!
So Christine is off and running again. The only redeeming part about her past runs was Mike Mathews hysterical blogging about her and his forever unrequited love. Hey Mike, you’re lookin’ good, maybe you got a shot at it now!
or maybe Christine O. reminds Delawareans that Mike Castle is NOT hard right, despite what the liberal wing says about him, and that he may be just the moderate they’re looking for.
That is a possibility, if her candidacy gets anywhere. But Castle has voted steadfastly conservative for a while now, except for his vote on Cap and Trade. I tend to think Castle is going to avoid her and pretend he is unopposed. No debates, no forums, nada.
DD that’s what Biden did in 2008 and he crushed her.
Precisely.
“maybe Christine O. reminds Delawareans that Mike Castle is NOT hard right, despite what the liberal wing says about him”
Delawareans, as opposed to Republicans, maybe.
That’s what I think too DD, but it all depends on whether O’Donnell can rile up the base enough to give Castle a headache. As missundastood has posted, she definitely has issues which might keep her from building passion in the base (besides being a perennial loser).
David Anderson should have run.
WGMD skewered her when the “I’m living off of campaign donations, writing checks to my bf, and won’t take a job” story broke.
If you’re claiming to be a conservative in Sussex and Gaffney and Colley declare you a phoney, you’re pretty much toast.
Meh. There is something of a tradition among the wingnuttiest to use campaign contributions as self-made wingnut welfare. Think Palin and Rubio here. Maybe she’s damaged goods here, but current history shows that there is little that would persuade the committed from their continued delusions.
cass the difference being that Palin had a full time job as Governor of Alaska and Rubio was a State Senator. O’Donnell, meanwhile, can’t and won’t hold down a full time job.
I think that Castle will welcome the opportunity to go to forums with O’D. This raises his profile before the general election–without his appearance at such forums, voters will have fewer opportunities to see him before mid-September.
Liane Sorenson had much less press than her Democratic rivals, due to the presence of the Democratic primary for her seat.
Certainly the Republican primary can serve to shift some voters from Castle, however it will also put Castle into more headlines.
The real question, I think, is whether O’D eventually is listed by a third party (Tea Party anyone), to draw votes away from Castle, not in the primary where she will have no impact, but in the general.
There’s no difference in misusing contributors funds, which was your original point. And misusing contributors funds — whether or not your have a day job — is still not a good thing. But a thing that is acceptable in certain instances among wingnuts.
Hmmm… Tea Party candidate? That would be interesting, Paul. Still, are there enough of them to make a difference? Or, just enough to make a difference? I can’t get an accurate read on those numbers.
“Hmmm… Tea Party candidate? That would be interesting, Paul. Still, are there enough of them to make a difference? Or, just enough to make a difference? I can’t get an accurate read on those numbers.”
Doesn’t make a difference what party. Could be Abstinence Party, Patriot Party, Mooch Party, whatever. If she’s on the ballot, she’s going to take away some votes from Sen. Hypocrite.
Either way, it will be fun to see her trying to dodge questions about her creative campaign finances.
Paul – Your suggestion is interesting, but I don’t expect MNC to share a stage with O’D or even acknowledge her existence. Just to get onto the ballot, she would have to pay a filing fee exceeding $10K. Given her empty fundraising as the unopposed GOP candidate in ’08, that’ll be a tall task. He will ignore her as a mad gasbag, much as a Democrat would treat a LaRouche or Rappa candidate.
Mike has plenty of experiance sharing the stage with kook (dem) opponents. Christine will be no trouble for Mike.
Having a primary opponent means your maxed out donors can contribute more.
and best of all it allows the conservatives a chance to express their displeasure with Mike with a protest vote in the primary, after which they will vote for him in the general.
Um, Phuny, you do realize that if enough conservatives express their displeasure at Mike at the ballot box with a protest vote, Mike Castle will lose, right? This isn’t a straw poll we are talking about.
I think Phuny knows that the hard right conservatives are a minority, even in the Republican party.
Having a primary opponent means your maxed out donors can contribute more.
Not so in federal races, where a donor can max out twice whether or not the candidate has a primary. Phuny’s gambit only applies in state races.
Coons better be ready for Mike! Mike shows up at carwashes, anywhere there is 5 people gathered. Coons should not underestimate him, cuz he is everywhere! He will never debate or pay any attention to the teabag Queen of Me, she isn’t a player.
Someone should check, I don’t think you can pay yourself from campaign funds? Del Dem do you know? I thought the disbursements must be “campaign related”, not living expenses. Someone should ask the Queen of Me, what makes her “think” she has a chance in hell of pulling numbers? She is turning into Ed O’Donald.
I think she is in these races to “exploit herself”, Delaware’s very own mini, mini Sarah Palin. Only diff is that Palin has no brain or knowledge but she has personality and does a great wink for the boys.
actually what I know is the conservative puma’s are a small minority in the Republican party.
for those with short memories PUMA stands for Party Unity My Ass and was the rallying cry for Hillary supporters who felt abused by the Obama campaign and so actively supported McCain.
It isn’t the impotent Delaware teabaggers who are in play here. (Where art thou Mike P?) They are too stupid and to poor to matter. It is the national teabag movement. The Glen Beck zombies that feel abused by the institutional GOP. If Christine can tap into the nutroots in a big way, she can still be a game changer.
Yo Progressives! Don’t keep getting caught up in the details.
After receiving a letter from Mike Castle dated March 4 reminding me that I must change my registration BACK to the Repug party by March 30 to vote for HIM in the Sept 20 Primary (I switched from I to R in the last DE Presidential Primary), I am accomodating him and changing to Repug yet again. Why? So I can vote for his Repug opponent (O’Donnell) in the DE Primary.
If enough informed, concerned DE voters bust Castle in the Repug Primary there will be no concern about Coons winning the finale. Or at the least, get him to spend his war chest and efforts on O’D up until Sept rather than bashing Coons until then. Play the DE Primary game. Sign up by March 30.
Really? Chris Coons? Look what he has done to NCCo. Do you want that done to the rest of the country? I certainly do not. And don’t get me started on O’Donnell. The only time she steps foot in Delaware is the 6 months before an election.
Yes, look what he has done in the county — cut spending responsibly and reasonably fairly, stopped the enormous giveaways to charities and hiring of relatives, and parceled out the bankroll over several years in an attempt to cushion the blow of tax increases. Wouldn’t you say the country needs more fiscal discipline?
Any politician who cuts government jobs will get bad-mouthed. You want leaner government, expect some po’d employees and ex-employees.
Flaws? Sure. Nowhere near as accessible as Gordon. Has hired campaign cronies instead of relatives, and that hasn’t worked out too well. Wussed out of making deeper, more painful cuts after holding a “listening tour” at which residents requested more of every county service. But he’s a bright guy, a quick study and might be around long enough to earn some seniority and hence clout. After all, Democrats will still be in the majority after the election. Do we really want a minority-party Senator again?
I think that “Queen of All Press Releases” is a riot and a keeper!
*
weak
/snort
county watcher
*
HA! What a load. Coons’ can’t crawl out from under what he’s done to this county land use code for his developer friends. The comp plan update process is gearing up again. That will be precious.
And he is starting up his charity non-profits allotments again, just in time for 2010. Read all about it on the Delaforum website.
I don’t know what you mean by he didn’t hire his relatives but he sure as shit hired all the hands that worked his campaign. Annie Farley, Rich Pryzwara (sp?), Nello (hot pants infidel) Paoli, etc. etc. etc.